The Wolowitz Cascade Effect
by JheremyC
Summary: Wolowitz has the right stuff. Leonard makes a hard choice. Amy's role in the group changes. This story would take place 2 weeks after Penny and Leonard retuned from their honeymoon. TBBT characters belong to Chuck Lorre & co. I receive nothing for writing this story other than getting the gremlin off my back
1. Chapter 1

**Special note: I would like to thank TerribleWaitress for the use of Meryl as Penny's Mom's name. After reading it in one of her stories I could never imagine any other name for Meryl. For those interested Meryl means blackbird in several languages. I prefer the Celts version which is bright sea. For those looking for a great read please check out ****TerribleWaitress's page**** and see what is available.**

**Thank you. **

Always

Penny writhed in the sweet climax that was often called the "little death". "Oh god" she moaned still amazed that after all these years his touch still drove her crazy. The King of

foreplay still reigned supreme bringing her to yet another climax. "Leonard please, please, I, please". Again her body shuddered and she made that little noise that let him know

she was satisfied. She released her grip on his hair and looked down at that little smirk he always wore after bringing her to orgasm. She rolled over to grab a towel and

frowned as she saw his reflection in the mirror. He was already out of the bed and was getting dressed.

"Leonard please don't leave" she said trying to keep the pleading out of her voice.

He looked at her, his eyes strangely cold. "You promised never to call me again Penny. You did not keep your word".

"But I needed you" then a little angrier " why can't you stay. You don't love me anymore is that it?"

Exasperated Leonard replied " Penny I have proven my love for you again and again, but what we are doing is wrong. You need to return to Stephen. Your children need you,

think of your family".

"Thats not fair Leonard. What about what I want? ". Reaching for him she begged "Please stay with me, I love you".

Face distraught Leonard looked back at her. "Penny you are being selfish. Our time is past. Go back to the family".

As he walked out the door he turned to look at her one more time. His voice faded as the distance increased, "Never call for me again" , and he was gone from her life once

more.

Her sobs were loud and tears ran down her face. "Leonard" she pleaded. Distraught she buried her face in the pillow and cried herself to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sheldon and Dr. Gablehauser walked out into the visitors gallery. Everyone there scrambling to get their attention. The airlock sealed behind them.

Sheldon was glad to see Amy in the crowd. Seeing him on the verge of tears she ran to him.

"Amy, Leonard would not let me in, he is my best friend and he would not let me in. I need to be in there. I need you to tell him to let me into the control room", Sheldon begged.

"Sheldon what is going on?"

Before he could answer Dr. Gabblehauser cut in. "Dr. Fowler, you need to get in touch with Mrs. Hofstadter and Dr. Wolowitz and get them here as soon as possible".

"The Cascade was a success then?" Dr. Williams interrupted. "When can we get in there?".

"Dr. Williams, Leonard wanted you to know that the sequences mapped out by Mister Wolowitz were a complete success. The reactor is doing a soft shutdown as we speak".

"Why doesn't Leonard tell me that himself and why is he keeping us out of the observation room?" Williams asked.

Dr. Gabblehauser took and a deep breath and began, "He wanted me to relay a message. He said I am sorry Gary but it as we discussed all those years ago".

His demeanor shaken Williams replied, "What exactly did he say?".

"He said you would understand". Taking a quick breath he continued,"Tell Gary that its the Long Watch Scenario".

Williams turned white and Sheldon began crying softly.

"Amy, its not fair, he is my best friend and he would not let me in there with him. He is dying and all I can do is watch". Staggered by the news Amy hugged him.

"The long watch, dammit", Williams swore, "I need to talk to him while he is still lucid. We need all the information we can get".

"Leonard has asked to talk to Dr. Fowler alone. Now", stated Dr. Gablehauser.

"No I need to see them now" stated Williams. "We need to get their testimony and get him to copy the security footage to the outside server before the data is lost".

Sheldon looked at him, tears still in his eyes. "Leonard destroyed all the recordings. He did not want anyone else to hear or see them".

"Dammit, is he crazy we need that data to recreate what they did. I am going in now even if we have to pull the damn airlock doors off its hinges".

"Do not worry Dr. Williams" Sheldon stated, "Leonard had me view all of the recordings before he destroyed the data drive. I have an eidetic memory. I can never forget what I saw". Only Amy was close enough to hear the next sentence said so low it was if he talked to himself. "No matter how hard I try".

"Dr. Cooper your to come with me so we can record the events you have just seen.

Dr. Fowler, get in there and find out what he wants. We have control of the security system again so we will monitor your conversation from here." He handed her an ear bud. "Wear this so we can pass on questions to you. Go Dr. Fowler there is not much time".

Sheldon looked up. "Please go Amy, he needs you".

"Come with me Sheldon" she pleaded.

"Leonard has forbade it. He wanted you only. I am to stay out here and wait for Penny, Raj and Bernadette. None of them are to be allowed into the

Observation room". With a nod to the camera Amy stepped into the air lock and disappeared from his view.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A rather severe looking gentleman in an Army uniform grabbed hold of Dr. Williams arm. "Gary we need to get in there now and access the situation".

"No general you do not. The Long Watch scenario Leonard mentioned means the whole area in there is highly radioactive. He has sealed the entire reactor room to keep anyone else from getting injured" he replied. "Anything past the control room airlock is lethal".

"How do I get my people out then" asked Dr. Gablehauser.

"You don't". Seeing the concern on Dr. Gablehauser's face he continued "Leonard's message was his way of letting me know that the reactor was safe and that any one coming in would put this campus, and everything down wind from it , in serious peril. His message also means that they have already had a lethal dose of radiation and that they would be dead long before help could arrive. I know you do not want to hear this at this time but with what Dr. Cooper has memorized and the phone conversations we recorded, there is enough information on the Wolowitz Cascade affect to complete their work. It will make every nuclear site in the world safer and events like this will never trouble us again."

"What of Mr. Wolowitz?" Dr. Gablehauser replied.

For the first time in his life Sheldon reached out to another person in honest compassion. Putting his hand on the man's shoulder he said "Eric, Howard is dead and Leonard will be soon. Do not soil their sacrifice by making a dangerous attempt to retrieve their bodies. Let their sacrifice stand. There is nothing any of us can do". With that he turned away and took up station near the door waiting for his remaining friends to arrive.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Amy entered the observation room and walked over to the control room window. Leonard sat his gaze locked on a monitor marked Containment Room.

"Leonard, please open the doors. I need to see that you are ok. Sheldon is very worried. I am very worried".

She heard him mumble "the Long Watch" as he turned toward her.

"Leonard, focus, let me in".

He turned toward here slightly. "Cannot , the needs of the many", he smiled again. "You know that son of a bitch stole my line. We all agreed in a case like this, what our last words would be. I called dibs on Spock last words". Again he looked off to the right.

"Yes I know. The needs of the many outweighs the needs of the few, or the one. Sheldon was quite displeased with you about that one. He wanted that for himself", Amy replied.

" Well let him know that Howard has claimed it as his own", his focus once again shifting to the monitor on his right.

" Leonard" she said raising her voice to get his attention, "Where is Howard?".

'He is still in the containment room. Amy you should have seen him, he really is a genius. He came up with the cascade affect while we were trying to get the reactor under control. He gave me the steps and what to watch for while he repaired the damaged controls". His focus wavered for a moment, "Its not like they show in the movies Amy, the hero dying bravely, defiant to the end. Howard died screaming Amy, the pain from the fire and the radiation must have been incredible, but he kept working till it was done. I wanted to pull him out of the containment room but he had dogged the hatch. I tried to reason with him but he just smiled and said, the needs of the many, and then closed his eyes. I thought he had died. Then he called for Bernie. He had this smile still on his face... Dead. I couldn't save him" he paused blinked and then turned slightly toward her. "I must of lost it for a moment but then Howard reminded me that with the controls working I needed to shut down the reactor. It would prove the Cascade effect works. Howard couldn't wait to wave his discovery in Sheldon's face". Leonard pulled in a ragged breath and then he paused nodding his head as if in agreement with something he heard.

"Leonard" she yelled, "Leonard focus on me". He turned slightly and for the first time she could see that the right side of his face was red and blistered. "Leonard, why were you and Howard conducting tests on a live reactor?".

"Tests?, no tests. Military project. Howard and I had refused to be involved. It was not safe to build this in such a highly populated area, no test not tests", he paused for a second and then he said in a voice filled with hate, "it was sabotage".


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Out in the observation lounge Sheldon watched as Penny and Bernadette were escorted in. At Sheldon's behest one of members of the emergency medical team was waiting nearby to observe Bernadette for any signs of severe distress. Upon reaching Sheldon they both wrapped their arms around him. Unsure of what of to do next he just asked himself what Leonard would do, and squeezed them back. Everything was out of control, everything changing, he wanted to escape but knew he must stay for them. He looked at the airlock doors hoping, and also dreading, that Amy would be back soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Sabotage, Leonard, are you sure?" Amy asked.

The hatred in his voice had subsided but it seemed to have given him clarity. "Positive. Howard and I were with Dr. Gablehauser when he got the security notification that someone had entered the containment area" his mind wandered then he continued "You should have seen him Amy, Howard went into Astronaut mode. He told Dr. Gablehauser to call the AEC and Homeland security. He sent me to the secondary control room to see if I could shut down the reactor. When I got there I found that the lunatic had destroyed the secondary controls. I ran to the primary, arriving just in time to see Howard knock out the bastard and dump him into the airlock. Howard sealed himself in the containment room once he found that control couplings on the reactor had been destroyed. He locked open the video link to the control room and started the repairs. The whole time he was working he kept telling me of his theory he had dubbed the cascade effect and how we might shut down the reactor and save the campus. It was brilliant. He was right" Leonard slumped and then shook as if trying to wake himself up.

"Leonard, please let me in. At least let me try to make you more comfortable until help arrives" Amy begged.

He whispered "the Long Watch"

"Leonard I do not understand, what is the Long Watch", she asked.

Suddenly Leonard was alert and lucid again. "When I was a boy I loved to read science fiction stories. One of my favorites was "The Long Watch". The story was basic. The protagonist locks himself in a bunker containing nuclear warheads. It is on the moon so the villain cannot blow the airlock without damaging the same weapons he intends to use on defenseless cities", Leonard spoke as if the old memories were easier to access.

Amy realizes his mind is wandering. "So did the protagonist win the day, to be celebrated by the people he saved", Amy asked quickly before he lost focus.

"Kind of. While the villain worked on getting in to the bunker, our hero decides to disable the firing mechanisms on all the warheads. He knows this will buy time till help arrives. Damaging the triggers exposes him to a dose of lethal radiation. Secure in his mind that the earth is safe he sits back and smokes a cigarette waiting for the Cavalry. In the story the hero blew smoke rings at the geiger counter watching the gauge jump as each ring hits the wand", he reminisced.

Amy realized where the story was going but needed to get him talking again. "Leonard, what does that mean?" knowing full well what that signified.

"It means that he had inhaled so much radioactive material that even his breath was registering radioactive". With that he turned towards her voice, for the first time fully revealing all of the right side of his face. The burns were extensive and his right eye was already milky white. Then he leaned forward and picked up the wand of a nearby geiger counter. I imagine it looked something like this", and then breathed out. The display went past the numbered readings and settled solidly on black." His eye closed as he turned once again toward the monitor on his right.

Amy drew in a deep breath. All of Sheldon's earlier rantings were finally making sense. Leonard was dying, you might as well say dead. Sheldon was mad because Leonard would not let him in. Now it all made sense.

"Leonard, is this the reason you called me here? To make sure I knew that Sheldon needed help", she asked.

"Yes!", the word came out hard. Lucid once more he continued "I need to know that Sheldon will be taken care of. We cannot let him pull back into his shell. You must watch him closely, keep him away from the abyss. We put a lot of time into keeping "one of the great minds of our century" sane. Convince him to watch over Bernadette and Penny. It will appeal to his "inner hero. Remind him he needs to do this because Howard and I need him to make sure our loved ones are looked after" he stopped, looked right and the continued. "You will have a very rough time of it. I think you should ask his Mother and MeeMaw to come stay with you. They will help you keep him sane. I have given my last messages to Sheldon he will let ..." he stopped suddenly. Leonard looked confused, like he had lost his place in the middle of a long speech.

"Amy, I am having trouble thinking but I need you to know this. Sheldon heard Howard dying. I tried to to get him to leave but he refused. He will need help dealing with this. I. i." his eye lost focus and he looked scared.

"Amy , I don't want to die, there is so much to do and see". He looked off toward the monitor and then nodding he mumbled "yes, yes, you are right I will tell her".

Turning toward her he continued, "Amy, Howard is worried about Bernie losing the baby. You must make sure...", his eye closed and his breath was ragged.

"Leonard, I know what to do. What about Penny?"

"Tell her you need help with the others. Focused on someone else's pain she will survive."

He looked up not quite focussing on her. "Amy you must be strong, I need to know ...".

He looked of to the right again and mumbled " really, a boy, it's not fair, yes yes I will tell her".

He turned to her.

"Amy make sure you tell Penny that she is not to name our son Leonard. It must be Stephen Wyatt", he coughed and then his looked again to the right.

Amy cringed recognizing the effects that the pain and radiation were having on Leonard, conversations with a dead friend, imaginary children, moments of lucidity as his once genius mind tried to compensate for the damage done it.

"Amy, we destroyed all of the security data. We did not want Bernadette or Penny to see how we died. You must lie to them both and say it was quick. Talk to Sheldon, watch for Sheldon, he has great things to do. The screaming" he lost focus and then pleaded "MeeMaw help him". He pulled in another ragged breath, and looking right smirked and then began to rant. "Damn you Wallowitz you stole my line" pause and then," no I was just going to", he looked right again.

His breathing was shorter and more irregular with one last blast of energy he spoke again.

"Penny I am so sorry, I need more time, I.." he halted and a strange look spread across what was left of his face. "Your right Howard there is no pain", then whispered "Penny". His eye closed.

She looked over at him slumped in the chair. He was not breathing. She straightened her clothes and wiped the tears from here face. As she went to open the air lock to the observation room it hit her.

Leonard had not asked for her because no one else was available, he had asked for her to explain why she must take his place as the head of his family. To commit to a lifetime of keeping Sheldon, Raj, Penny, and Bernadette together. To raise their children as her own. To take care of them as Leonard had for so many years. She looked back at his still figure. I will do it Leonard , I promise.

The needs of the many.


	7. Chapter 7

Epilogue

Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler stepped thru the door and came face to face with a very worried Dr. Gablehauser.

"Amy" he began, "Leonard killed the video feed as soon the airlock closed so what he said to you was not heard in the gallery. I" , he paused and looked at the airlock and then turned. "Excuse me. I need to talk to Leonard and Howard".

Looking strangely calm Amy replied "you are too late, they are no longer with us".

"I know Amy, but I need to pay my respects". He turned away looking tired and then stepped into the airlock.

Amy's eyes scanned the room until they locked onto the face of her beloved. He looked toward her and she nodded her head to let him know Leonards suffering was over. Sheldon pulled the crying Penny and Bernadette tighter to his body, as if he could shield them from the pain. Finding the stunned looking Raj sitting alone Amy pulled him over to the group and forced him into the hug.

The needs of the few.

Postscript

Dr. Eric Gablehauser reviewed the itinerary for the dedication of the new buildings. As he had promised Dr. Hofstadter, no, as he had promised Leonard, half the funds raised by the patents stemming from the Wolowitz Cascade effect were split equally between the construction of the new Wolowitz school of engineering, the Hofstadter Lab building, and a rather large endowment that would allow the university to attract some very brilliant people to walk those halls.

The reminder was in a trust fund held for the Wolowitz-Hofstadter-Koothrappali family.

He smiled at the thought of the "compound" the family maintained and of the odd group it housed. Actors, painters, physicists, biologists, astronomers all under one roof. His mind wandered back to his last visit when a five year old Stephen Hofstadter, face very serious, had told him that he needed to retire and move in with them. He would then have time for the research he missed and more time to spend with the family. He was positive the boy was just playing at being an adult. When he announced his need to return to the University the family had meet him by the door. Penny had walked over to him and putting her hand to his cheek softly said "Eric, you have done enough. Let someone else take over. Accept our offer. Having you here would make the family happy. It's what Leonard would want. It's what you need".

The needs of the one.


End file.
